To Fly or not To Fly……

Early January in the ‘Weary Traveller’ is a dangerous time. Making your way to the bar is a veritable obstacle course of crutches propped up against tables, legs in plaster sticking out and people with their arms in slings trying to carry too many glasses!

Yes, the great and good of the village have returned from their annual jaunt to the snowy pistes of France, Spain and Austria. There they are still kitted out in their brightly coloured ski jackets and woolly hats (despite the roaring fire in the old inglenook), all competing to see who has the trendiest gear with the best logo!

I managed to get to the bar in one piece and I was just setting down on my favourite bar stool, pint in one hand peanuts in the other, when I overheard our local GP talking to one of the walking wounded.

“Well of course you couldn’t just get on plane and come home” he said to a lady with her leg in plaster.

“But the hospital said I was able to go home” she said “why would I want to hang around if I couldn’t ski? I didn’t want to sit in the hotel on my own while the others were having fun!”

“Just because the hospital told you could go, didn’t mean you were fit to fly home. They were treating you like a local; by home they meant a house close by not all the way back to Blighty!”

I should tell you that our GP is a bit of a character, ex RAF and knows a thing or two about aviation medicine.

“Flying soon after you have had a serious injury, is very dangerous. For a start your limbs swell when you fly, so having your leg constricted in a plaster case is a bit having an elastic band wrapped tightly around your limb – if you’re not careful it will turn blue and drop off!”

“But they put on one of those split casts” she said “and they’re supposed to prevent that” She clearly thought she had won that one, but our GP was not finished.

“There is still the chase of thrombosis or even and embolism” he replied, “in a pressurised aeroplane your blood is that bit thinner so the little blighter can travel quickly. If it hits you brain or heart then it’s all over” The group fell silent at this macabre statement.

“Don’t look so glum” he laughed “ your travel insurance company doesn’t want anything bad to happen to you – that’s why they suggest you stay in the resort for 3 or 4 days to make sure everything has settled down.”

Everyone nodded wisely and our GP moved away to spread his good cheer amongst the rest of the injured.

“Putting it that way, a few days on my own in hotel doesn’t sound so bad” the lady said “and the bar was open all day!”

I love people who look on the bright side, don’t you?

Postcard travel insurance has a 24hour emergency assistance service that is managed by doctors who have experience in aviation medicine – they would have been able to explain the various problems to our bloggers friend and put her mind at rest.